EASTERN NUTRITION

5-DAY FOOD PLAN

From: Patricia Beretta

Date: November, 2010

Make this Food Plan your Own

This food plan should be viewed as an example of menus and dishes best suited for selected
patterns of health imbalances as indicated below. It is meant to help adjust dietary habits
progressively. Once the rationale for food / drink choices is understood, it is easy to adapt this
plan and expand it creatively, making food planning fun and eating a renewed pleasure in life!

This food plan leverages millennia of wisdom and experience from Traditional Chinese Medicine
(TCM). TCM provides an effective approach for each individual to reach and maintain good
health through customized food & drink plans. TCM nutrition can be used on its own or as an
adjunct to other Eastern and Western forms of treatment. This plan has been carefully designed
to more specifically help people who tend to feel cold, lack digestive fire (resulting in sub-optimal
digestion of food, as well as sub-optimal digestion of thoughts with worry or repetitive thoughts
at times), who may grow cysts or lumps, and who get bouts of recurring symptoms with stress
and frustration (eg headache, nausea, tinnitus, neck tension). In middle aged women this can
be accompanied by night sweats, hot flashes (in men a similar imbalance can occur but is less
obviously visible).

Such symptoms are manifestations of root imbalances that are quite frequent in our modern
Western society. They are namely: Spleen Qi and Yang Vacuity, Dampness of Spleen and
Phlegm, LV Qi Stagnation, and some Yin Vacuity.

Food as your Medicine

Rather than focusing on weight loss, looking at calories, food groups (carbs, lipids, proteins) or
vitamins, the Chinese diet focuses on how food tangibly affects a person: warming or cooling,
dispersing excessive energy or nourishing Blood, strengthening the Spleen digestion, the Liver
smooth flow of Qi etc. Each of these food qualities are used to customize a person’s diet
depending on the physical and psychological symptoms to be alleviated. A TCM diet is not a
fixed thing and will usually be adjusted when conditions or symptoms change. TCM doctors pay
attention to every little detail in life, and ways to prepare food, or mind state when eating also
play a significant role.

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Five-Day Plan Overview

To read full recipe, go over the dish name and press Ctrl + mouse click (Word), or mouse click (pdf)

Day Warm am Breakfast Am snack Lunch Pm snack Dinner

drink

Wake your digestive Make breakfast easy to Keep your energy up Lunch needs to be a Surf towards the Have a light dinner, but
fire and stimulate free digest and nutritious, with with a light morning substantial and balanced end of the day with do not eat anything 3
energy flow with a hot a whole protein. snack and a warm drink meal, also with a whole a healthy snack hours before bed.
sour drink - 10-30 min protein, and easy to digest and warm drink Continue to have warm
before breakfast drinks as desired.

- Hot lemon - TCM “Gloop” - Raisins, dried - Red rice - Millet - Grilled Sweet
with honey (1 Protein Shake apricots, figs - Steamed or Cakes / Potatoes
glass hot - Whole wheat or - Tea (eg stirred fried Croquettes - Carrot Ginger
water, ¼ buckwheat or cinnamon, veggies (green - Peppermint Soup
lemon, 1-2 rye toast with pomegranate, leafy etc) tea
1
tbsp honey) honey or maple jasmine) - Garlic Pickles or
syrup Garlic on the Grill
- Tofu Grilled in
Miso
- Green tea
“”, add - Mom’s Sweety - Pickled Ginger - Autumn Chicken - Adzuki - Vegetable
cinnamon Rice Cereal - Nuts with Chestnut, Bean Slices Barley Pilaf
2 Nuts - tea - Broccoli, green - Green tea - Steamed
leafy steamed spinach
veggies
“” add ginger - Delicious - Broiled Fruit - Pumpkin - Easy - Leek “à la
Quinoa Kebab Chickpeas, Muesli Bars Vinaigrette”
Breakfast - Green tea - Green leafy - Hot almond - Ginger
steamed veggies milk Carrots
- Whole rice, or chocolate - Whole grain
3
buckwheat according to
noodles taste and
appetite
- Chicken soup
or broth
“” add cayenne - Brown Rice - Adzuki Bean - Lamb Kebab - Quinoa - Black Bean
pepper and Cream of Cream Slices - Steamed veggies Cocoa Rice
cinnamon - Nuts or dried - Green tea Walnut & - Millet and
4
fruit Ginger Vegetable Miso
- Green tea Cookies Soup
- Herbal Tea
Warming tea: - Quinoa or rice - Fresh Ginger - Moules - Easy - Moroccan
cinnamon, porridge with Cake Marinières Muesli Bars Lentils
5 fennel, chicory, dates and (Mussels) - Herbal tea - Soup with
liquorice, coconut or salmon or trout veggies and
ginger with veggies cereal

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Bridging Opposites
With this food plan, we are trying to balance out things that are sometimes opposites:
- Increasing the digestive fire by choosing foods & drinks that are Warming in nature, and
making sure they are very easy to digest
- Moving Qi that may stagnate out of frustration and stress, or a sedentary lifestyle
- Balancing Yin and Yang. Yin is our cooling force and needs to be supplemented without
depleting Yang, our warming force, which also needs to be strengthened
The design of this food plan balances all these as follow:
- The morning warm drink wakes up the stomach. Any cold drink would shut down the
digestive fire. It has honey which stimulates digestion. Additionally it has lemon. The
sour taste stimulates the TCM Liver which is responsible for smooth flow of energy,
hence helping moving stagnant Qi.
- Most foods of this plan are Warming in nature, stimulating the TCM Stomach / Spleen
digestive function, and tonifying Yang.
- To make sure Yin and Yang are tonified, without weakening one another, the morning
dishes tend to be more Yang and Warming. The beginning of the day is the Yang time of
the day, so a good time to stimulate Yang. Some evening dishes are more Yin, to tonify
Yin at the end of the day. The end of the day and night are the Yin times.

Do’s and Don’ts

Chinese nutrition optimizes your diet not only through a customized selection of foods & drinks,
but also with the way you prepare and eat them, as well as general lifestyle recommendations.
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Do’s Don’ts
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Eat your food and drink fluids warm or at room Do not eat or drink anything frozen or just out of the
temperature. fridge, or cold.
Cold temperatures shut down your digestive fire. They Cold hurts the TCM Stomach / Spleen.
cool down stomach enzymes below 37 C making the Sorry if you are an ice-cream lover, and a fan of smoothy or
chemical transformation of food in your digestive system pop on ice: they are really not good for you 
very inefficient.

Eat cooked foods Avoid raw foods

Cooking pre-processes foods, making then softer and Raw foods hurts the TCM Stomach / Spleen
easier to digest. Though many people lunch from a bowl of lettuce,
tomatoes, carrots, celery etc that makes up, this is not good
for you. Raw fruits e.g apples are also hard to digest. Have
fruit in moderation and cooked (compote) or some berries
in moderation. You will get plenty of vitamins and anti-
oxidants if you eat lots of various vegetables.

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Chew well No gulping of food…
Chewing mechanically breaks food down, saving work Lack of chewing hurts the TCM Stomach / Spleen
for the stomach. Saliva enzymes have time to act.

Leave some empty space in your stomach Do not overeat

After a meal there should still be room in your stomach Too much food at once hurts the Stomach / Spleen.
Make small meals, more frequently if you tend to be
hungry.

Preferably have warm fluids at the end / after your meal

in order to humidify food in your stomach (rather than
drown food into a stomach already full of fluids)

Have a diet friendly for the TCM Stomach / Spleen Avoid foods / drinks that hurt the Stomach / Spleen
When the Stomach / Spleen are not strong, food is These are:
incompletely processed and poorly transformed into - Cold, raw
energy we can use. This can result in low energy, poor - Sweet foods, including fruit
blood formation resulting in lack of nourishment of the - Dairy
muscles and the brain. This can also result in TCM in the - Fried foods especially greasy deep fried
formation of a “residue” from incomplete digestion (like - Too spicy (like hot Tai curry dishes)
gas flowing out of the exhaust pipe of a car when the
engine is cold). This residue is called Dampness. It can
turn into Phlegm in the Lungs, it can lodge in the joints
making them achy when the weather changes, it can
make us feel heavy and unable to think clearly, or it can
“congeal to form lumps.

Eat regularly, 3-5 times per day, with substantial Avoid late night dinners, stop eating 3 hours before
food intake in the first half of the day and a lighter bed
intake at the end of the day But continue drinking warm fluids.
Avoid fasting
In TCM, fasting depletes the Stomach / Spleen energy. Also
cleanses with cold fruit juices are not recommended: cold,
sweet, no food, all these hurt the Stomach / Spleen.

Select good quality foods and drinks Stay away from refined and processed foods
Preferably organic. Avoid preservatives, additives, refined sugar, sweeteners.
Frozen food is fine. Stay away from
The best is to get your fresh produce from local markets The “Dirty Dozen” (see appendix of foods produced with

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and cook yourself. It is a lifestyle and once you are into it lots of pesticides)
works perfectly well in your busy schedule.

Add Yang to the way you cook Add in moderation Yin to the way you cook
Baking, stir frying, stews (anything cooked a long time), Steaming in water, quick boiling, pickling in brine / salt.
grilling / barbecuing, adding hot spices, adding a little bit But avoid pickling in sugar: this depletes the Spleen and
of wine, pickling in vinegar. creates too much Cold.

Eat mainly Warming foods, or neutral Avoid or eat sparsely Cooling foods
eg chicken, turkey, beef, trout, salmon, walnuts, Eg shrimps, lobster, clams, crab, millet, barley, wheat,
chestnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, oats, rice, kamut, amaranth, wild rice, sprouts, cabbage, bock choy,
spelt, quinoa, black beans, cabbage, asparagus, onions, celery, cauliflower, cucumber, bell pepper, lettuce,
chives, garlic, winter squash, kale, leek, caper, cilantro, pumpkin, radish, spinach, yam, sweet potato, swiss card,
dill, fennel, pepper, curry, cinnamon, basil, rosemary, water chestnut, mushrooms, kelp / seaweeds, spirulina,
clove, cumin, sage, thyme, turmeric, dates, blackberry, artichoke, avocado, tomato, zucchini, tarragon,
coconut, cherry, jasmine tea, liquorice, chicory, fennel peppermint, dandelion, lemon balm, marjoram, salt, black
tea, butter, goat products, coconut milk. and green tea, chamomile, fruit juices, many fruits (apples,
pears, peaches, bananas, blueberries, cranberries,
strawberries, citrus fruits, kiwi, melon, papaya, mango),
dairy products especially milk, soy products.

However, it is better to still eat fresh veggies rich in fibres

and vitamins, so keep in your diet steamed veggies
especially green leafy (bock choy, spinach, chard).
But it is still better to avoid fruits, especially raw: apple,
pear, banana.

It is good to have in moderation Cooling foods that either

nourish Yin, or help resolve Dampness: barley, yam, celery,
asparagus, broccoli, dark green leafy vegetables.

Eat in a calm environment, and in a peaceful state of Do not eat on the go, do not skip meals, do not eat
mind while very upset
Stop and take a moment to enjoy your meals and snacks. It is important to calm your nervous system when eating
Overall your productivity will be better because you will and make it an enjoyable experience. We need our
have more energy from digesting well. parasympathetic relaxed nervous response to digest, we
do not digest well in the fight & flight mode.
In TCM the Liver should be able to promote a smooth flow
of energy while eating & digesting, otherwise its
stagnation will “bully” the digestive system of the Stomach
/ Spleen.

Optimize food combination Avoid some food combinations

No doubling up: Avoid multiple types of animal proteins,
or multiple types of lipids, or multiple types of starches
during the same meal. Eg for proteins: no meat and yogurt
in the same meal, for fats: no dairy and olive oil, for starch:

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 no rice and noodles.
No meat + starch: Avoid combining meat and starch in the
same meal. Eg no rice and chicken, no egg and toast, no
bacon and potato.

Balance work and play Avoid overwork, avoid excessive or persistent

Implement relaxing routines and strategies to cope with emotions
stress and emotions such as frustration, anger, fear or Overwork or lack of sleep depletes the Yin.
sadness Anger hurts the Liver.
Worry hurts the Spleen.
Sadness hurts the Lungs.
Also, excessive sexual activity depletes the Yang: so enjoy
in moderation, like every good thing in life.

Exercise and get fresh air Avoid being too sedentary

Exercising according to your natural make up improves This depletes the Stomach / Spleen, and stagnates Liver
digestion and reduces stress. energy.
Fresh air increases oxygenation and energy levels.

Stay warm Protect against cold and wind

Wear several layers of clothing so that you can add / Avoid drafts and wind (scarf, hat, coat), protect the neck
remove according to need, especially cover up when area, the low back and belly.
going out in the winter.
Use hot pads on your low back and/or belly at night.
Have hot bathes with Epson salt (1-2 cup per bath for 20
min)

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Recipes
Day 1
TCM “Gloop” Protein Shake

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Ingredients Directions
Gloop Powder (prepare in advance): 1. Prepare “Gloop” powder: mix powder
- 1 cup whey protein isolate or rice or hemp ingredients. Store in fridge for re-use
protein powder 2. Remove 1 serving of powder and ingredients
from fridge several hours ahead of time, or
- 1 cup ground almond (or coconut)
warm-up Gloop before drinking
- 1 cup nutritional yeast (or skip, or replace by 3. Place Gloop powder and other ingredient in
spirulina) blender. Mix thoroughly
- 1 cup of wheat germ
One Serving of Gloop:
- ¼ to ½ cup of Gloop Powder
- 1 cup pomegranate or coconut juice
- ½ cup goat yogurt (or skip yogurt or replace by a
daily portion of pro-biotics)
- ½ to ¾ cup fresh berries or fruit (frozen OK as
long as warmed up): blackberry, lychee, apricot,
plum
- 1-2 tbsp sunflower seed or walnut oil, or half of
both
- 1 egg, optionally
- Spice: cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, etc according
to taste
- Optional sweetener: 1-2 tbsp honey, or pollen /
royal jelly, or rice syrup, or molasses, or maple
syrup

Prep Time 5min Cook time 0min

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Many shakes recommended by western nutritionists for their protein, vitamin (eg B12), omega 3
or anti-oxidant qualities are way too Damp in TCM terms because of milk (whether cow or soy),
banana, apple / orange / grape juice, frozen berries and fruits, as well as being consumed very
cold. Several adjustments have been made to the original recipe from a naturopathic doctor, to
make it more Warming and less Dampening. Hopefully this version is as yummy as the original!

To prepare your own almond milk powder:

http://www.vegetarian-cooking-recipes-tips.com/almond-milk.html
To prepare your own almond milk: http://drbenkim.com/almond-milk-recipe.htm
But frankly, almond milk is so easy to find that I’d save the time…
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

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 Garlic Pickles

From “Natural Remedies from the Japanese Kitchen”, Hiroko Fukuhara and Yasuko takahata,
Weatherhill, p62
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Ingredients (6 servings) Directions
- 2 heads garlic 1. Peel the garlic and place it in a glass bottle
- 1/3 cup soysauce 2. Poor the soy sauce and mirin into the bottle,
put on the lid, and shake so that the garlic is
- 1 tbsp mirin or sherry
covered.
3. Marinate for at least 10 min., the longer the
better
The sauce marinade also makes an excellent
dressing for other foods.

Prep Time 5min Marinade time >10min

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Adding a little sourness to your lunch to move Liver Qi, these pickles bring the health benefits
from garlic: warming, good for digestion, for liver, anti-carcinogenic, tonic for circulation.
If raw garlic is too much for you in the above Garlic Pickles, replace by Garlic on the Grill.
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Garlic on the Grill

If raw garlic is too much for you in the above garlic Pickles, replace by Garlic on the Grill: put the
whole garlic unpeeled in the oven, broil for 10-15 minutes, open the skin and eat each clove
with tea spoon. Also a delicious appetizer by the campfire (simply put garlic in aluminum foil and
into the fire).
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Tofu Grilled in Miso

From “Natural Remedies from the Japanese Kitchen”, Hiroko Fukuhara and Yasuko Takahata,
Weatherhill, p123
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Ingredients (6 servings) Directions
- 1 ½ block firm tofu 1. Cut tofu into 8 equal size pieces and place
- 1 cup miso them on a baking pan.
2. Prepare the miso mixture by stirring together
- 4 tbsp sesame paste
the miso, sesame paste and wine.
- 2-3 tbsp rice wine or sherry (or Japanese mirin) 3. Coat tofu with miso mixture
- shaved lemon peel and seaweed flakes for garnish 4. Bake at 480 F for 10 min
5. - Move to a serving plate and garnish with
lemon peel and seaweeds flakes

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 Prep Time 5min Marinate time 10 min
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This a marinated tofu dish. Tofu can be marinated in many ways before baking or stir frying. For
instance a marinade of olive oil or sesame oil, soy sauce, herbes de Provence (rosemary,
thyme, oregano, basil, sage, bay leaf, fennel) is another nice option.
Some research showed that tofu + green tea is good for estrogen-positive breast cancer.

Miso probably originated in China about 2,500 years ago and is made by combining cooked
soybeans, mold (ie koji – miso contains lactobacillus), salt, and grains such as barley or rice,
then fermenting for 6 months to 2 years. It is now widely used in the Japanese diet. It is believed
to help the body expel toxins (including helping with the effect of radiations, pollution, smoking),
and to be good for the stomach and the liver. Red miso is good all year round, darker miso is
more salted and was fermented longer and is better in the winter (in moderation).
It is better to use fresh miso paste. The one I use is from www.traditionmiso.com and can be
found locally.
Miso paste can be diluted in hot water and makes a nice easy to prepare soup of its own (1 tsp
for a cup of hot water). Traditionally a little tofu and nori seaweed is added. Miso is also a great
condiment for various dishes.

Sesame paste can be found in Asian and natural food stores or prepared as follow: roast 1 cup
of sesame seeds in a pan until they begin to release their oil, then grind them in a mortar for 5
min until smooth (make ½ cup of paste).
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Millet Cakes / Croquettes

Adapted from “la Cuisine Saine”, Rosemay Stanton, Könemann, p94

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Ingredients (6 servings) Directions
Croquettes: 1. Put millet and water in a pan. Bring to boil,
- 1 cup millet cover, simmer for 35 min. (millet will absorb
water and become sticky)
- 2.5 cups water
2. Add remaining ingredients. Stir well and make
- 1 cup mashed winter squash 6 cakes / croquettes.
- ½ cup oatmeal 3. Glaze each side in a pan (or broil in oven), for
- ½ minced shallot 10 minutes in total
- 1 whisked egg 4. Sauce: mix ingredients

- 2 tea spoons Dijon mustard

Sauce:
- 1 cup goat yogurt
- 2 tea spoons Dijon mustard
- 1 soup spoon fresh minced spearmint

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 Prep Time 15min Cook time 45min
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A nice balanced afternoon snack or light dinner to nourish Yin, providing some whole protein
(egg):
- millet nourishes Yin,
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

From “Healing with Whole Foods – Asian Traditions and Modern Traditions”. Paul Pitchford.
North Atlantic Books. P566
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Ingredients Directions
- 4 sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch rounds 1. Steam potatoes until tender
2. In parallel prepare the Béchamel:
- Béchamel Sauce, yields 1 cup:
a. Heat oil in heavy sauce pan, stir in flour and
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (or 3 tbsp butter) whisk 1-2 min over low heat (until the paste
- 5 tbsp flour (eg rice, quinoa, whole wheat) becomes golden, but not dark brown).
- 1 cup almond milk b. Add heated milk. Stir briskly to mix all flour
- dash of nutmeg with milk, crushing dollops. Return to low
heat but make sure sauce does not boil. Stir
- sea salt
continuously until sauce turns from milk-like
liquid to a thicker liquid.
c. Add seasonings
3. Arrange pieces of sweet potatoes on skewers
and cover with sauce
4. Broil 1-2 min.
5. Cover again and turn over. Broil 1-2 min
Prep Time 15min Cook time 5min
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Sweet potatoes nourish Yin, almond milk is Warming, so a nice balance.
A grilled Bechamel dish is a French tradition with a variety of vegetables: endives, leeks,
potatoes. We usually add Swiss cheese in the Bechamel and also on top of the dish: yummy
once grilled, but here alas! we are limiting our dairy intake . I’d still go for that though.
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Carrot Ginger Soup

From Eastern Nutrition class potluck

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Ingredients Directions
- ½ medium butternut squash 1. Seed squash and roast in oven for 30-40 min or
until soft. Allow to cool then scoop out the flesh.
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil

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- 1 onion, diced 2. Heat oil in saucepan. Add onion and garlic, cook
- 1 lb. carrots - peeled and diced till onion is translucent. Add water, squash,
carrots and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce heat
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed or to taste
and cook for at least another half hour.
- 1 (2 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly 3. Puree and serve
sliced (to taste)
- 4 cups water
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon

Prep Time 10min Cook time 45min

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An excellent soup to strengthen the Spleen, and it really tastes wonderful!
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Day 2
Mom’s Sweety Rice Cereal

The authors says it’s what his mother used to make when a child.
From http://www.food.com/recipe/moms-sweet-rice-cereal-338491
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Ingredients Directions
- 1 ½ cup rice (white or brown, cook ahead of time 1. Cook or warm up rice.
in 2-3 cup water and drain) 2. Add honey / maple syrup and butter, stir to
- 1 tbsp butter combine
3. Serve in cereal bowl, add warm milk and
- Honey or maple syrup, to taste
sprinkle with spices.
- ¼ cup almond or goat milk
- 1 sprinkle cinnamon, fenugreek, and/or ginger
powder

Prep Time 5min Cook time depends on rice type, 20-45

 min, or as congee > 3hr

A great way to start the day, nourishing, warming, and soothing. The more the rice is cooked,
the easiest it is to digest. Add Warming spices to taste. You can also add either nuts or dried
fruits.
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

11
 Pickled Ginger

From “Natural Remedies from the Japanese Kitchen”, Hiroko Fukuhara and Yasuko Takahata,
Weatherhill, p66
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Ingredients (6 servings) Directions
- 5 fresh ginger roots 1. Slice the ginger into very thin slices then toss
- ½ cup sake, or sherry in boiling water. Boil for about 30 sec, then
drain and press out any excess water
- 1 tbsp honey
2. Marinate the ginger slices in the vinegar and
- 1 tbsp salt honey for at least 10 min, longer if possible
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (or regular vinegar)

Prep Time 5min Cook time <1min

 Marinate time >10min

Warming to lift up your Spleen, sour to help the Liver.
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Autumn Chicken with Chestnut

From Eastern Nutrition class potluck.

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Ingredients (4 servings) Directions
- 300g chicken breast, cut in small strips 1. Chop onions and garlic, slice & dice fennel
- 150g roasted and peeled chestnuts vegetable, break chestnut in chunks.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet set over medium
- 2 onions
heat. Add onion and garlic, and stir until
- 1 garlic clove onions turn yellow / light brown.
- ½ fennel (vegetable and leaves) 3. Add diced fennel and stir a minute or two.
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 4. Add chicken, chestnut and spices.
- 2 tbsp soya sauce or some sea salt 5. Stir dynamically for about 5 min, until chicken
is cooked through.
- spices: pepper, clove, dry ginger powder, dill,
6. To make chicken meat more tender, optionally
fennel, rosemary
add half a small glass of water, or wine.
- optionally: 2 spoons of rice wine

Prep Time 15min Cook time 15min

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This delicious recipe works especially well in the fall when chestnuts are around, but can be
prepared all year round with ready to eat 100% natural chestnuts from Cesares, found in local
food stores eg Zehrs.
Ingredients and preparation method have been carefully selected to warm up your digestive fire,
and increase your overal energy and body heat in a balanced manner. Chicken and chestnut

12
are Warming, as well as fennel, onion, garlic and the chosen spices, and also the wine. Quick
cooking of foods cut in small pieces and dynamic stirring while cooking adds Yang.
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Adzuki Bean Slices

From “Breakfast, Lunch, Tea, the Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery”, Rose Carrarini, Phaidon
The author is an English woman who runs trendy and successful bakeries in Paris
 
Ingredients (15-20 squares) Directions
- 1 (large ) cup adzuki beans, soaked overnight in 1. Cook the adzuki beans in a way that limits
3 x their volume of water flatulence (see below).
- 1 (small ) cup brown sugar – preferably replace 2. When the beans are completely soft, drain them
with molasses or maple syrup and put them back in the saucepan
3. Add 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the honey and
- 2 tbsp honey
vanilla extract. Stir over a low heat for ~ 5 min
- 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract until the sugar is dissolved
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter (plus extra for greasing) 4. Put into a food processor and blend till smooth.
- 2/3 cup flour (all purpose, whole wheat, or rice Set aside to cool
flour) 5. Pre-heat oven to 180°C/350°F
- 1 cup ground almond 6. Butter a 8x11 inch baking tin and line it with
parchment paper
- 2/3 cup rice flour
7. Mix flour, ground almonds. Rice flour,
- Pinch of salt remaining sugar and salt until mixture is quite
crumbly
8. Press half the prepared mixture into the
prepared tin
9. Spread adzuki paste evenly over the top and
sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture.
10. Bake 25-30 min till topping is golden and crisp
11. When cold, cut into squares (or eat like a
crumble)

Prep Time 10min Cook time 2 hr

 
Adzuki or aduki or azuki beans are widely used in Asian dishes and pastries. They are a big
thing in the macrobiotic diet.
They are high in fibres, proteins and iron. Like many beans in TCM they are considered to tonify
the Kidneys. They are said to reduce swelling and disperse stagnation, and drain Damp
conditions.
But they can make you quite gasy…
How to prevent flatulence:
1. Soak the beans overnight
2. Drain the beans, put them in a saucepan, cover with fresh water and bring to boil

13
 3. Drain them again, put them back in the saucepan with same amount of fresh water.
Then turn the heat down and simmer the beans for ~ 1 ½ hours until they are very soft.
Keep adding water if they start to dry out, and skim the surface carefully
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Vegetable Barley Pilaf

Adapted from http://www.canadianliving.com/food/vegetable_barley_pilaf.php

 
Ingredients Directions
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1. In heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.
- 1 onion, chopped Fry onion, garlic, lemon rind, salt and pepper
until onion is softened, about 3 min
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
2. Add zucchini / asparagus, red pepper / leek /
- 1 tbsp minced lemon rind celery. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are
- ½ tsp sea salt slightly softened, about 3-5 min.
- ½ tsp pepper 3. Stir in barley and cook, stirring frequently
- 1 zucchini, chopped. In season replace with ~ 10- until browned.
15 asparagus heads 4. Add stock and bay leaf, and bring to a boil.
Cover and simmer over medium heat until
- 1 sweet red pepper, chopped. Possibly skip or
barley is tender, 30-45 min.
replace with ½ leek or 2 celery ribs
5. Add vegetable blend, tossing with fork. Cover
-1 cup pearl barley and heat through for 5 min.
- 1 bay leaf 6. Stir in cilantro
- 2 ½ cups vegetable or chicken stock
-1 cup frozen vegetable blend, or own blend: red
and green cabbage minced, carrots, kale, peas etc
- 2 tbsp minced cilantro

Prep Time 15min Cook time 60-75min

 
This dish has a balanced Warming and Cooling quality. With pearl barley, asparagus, celery, it
is good for Dampness.
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

14
Day 3
Delicious Quinoa Breakfast

Recipe adapted from various online sources, eg

http://eatthecookie.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/sweet-quinoa-breakfast-cereal/
 
Ingredients (3-4 servings) Directions
- 1 cup red quinoa (or white quinoa) 1. Toast nuts in a pan (no need for oil), or put in
- 1 cup almond milk (or rice milk) oven, broil for 1-2 min, flip side and broil again
1-2 min.
- 1 cup water
2. Rinse quinoa in cold water well, drain water in
- A sprinkle of salt a colander with a dishtowel
- 1 tbsp honey 3. Place quinoa, and all ingredients except for nuts
- ½ tsp cinnamon into a pot, stir well to combine, and turn heat on
- 2 tbsp flax meal (optional) medium. Bring to a boil. Let cereal boil for 15
min with lid off, stirring frequently and adding
- ¼ cup raisin
water if needed.
- nuts: almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds to taste 4. Turn heat off, place lid on pot. Let sit for 5-10
min to absorb liquid.
5. Serve with nuts, a few drops of almond milk,
and some honey if you need it.

Prep Time 10min Cook time 20min

 
To simplify the recipe and save time, the quinoa grain can be replaced by quinoa flakes, which
are prepared like instant oatmeal.
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Broiled Fruit Kebab

Recipe inspired from various online sources.

 
Ingredients Directions
- 1 to 2 cups of fruit: apricot (dried or fresh), figs 1. Cut fruits in cubes. Thread onto skewer.
(“”), papaya, plums, dates, coconut meat, even 2. Place skewer on baking sheet, glace with
squash maple syrup and sprinkle with spices
- 2 tbsp maple syrup 3. Broil until slightly bubbly, ~ 2min on each side
- Sprinkle of ginger, cinnamon, cayenne pepper,
anise, cumin, turmeric or any Warming spice,
nutmeg, to taste

Prep Time 10min Cook time 5min

 

15
Avoid eating raw fruit, especially in the cool / cold seasons. Cooked is a great way to enjoy their
sweetness and delicate flavors. Compotes are a good alternative.
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Pumpkin Chickpeas

Someone cooked according to the macrobiotics diet for me once. I reproduced the recipe by
memory, illustrating how simple it is .
 
Ingredients Directions
- ½ cup chickpeas 1. Soak chickpeas in 2 cups of water the night
- 1 winter squash before (or alternatively used canned
chickpeas). Drain them, put them in pan, cover
- 2 or 3 red onions
with fresh water and bring to a boil (this step
- 2 cups water can be skipped). Drain and remove from pan
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 2. Slice onions. Warm oil in pan with high heat,
- salt add onions, stir dynamically until translucent
- spices: nutmeg, caraway fruits or seeds, turmeric, or caramelized.
sprinkle of cinnamon 3. Add chickpeas, water, and spices. Bring to boil,
then simmer for 40-45 min. Add water as
needed.
4. While chickpeas are cooking, cut squash in
cubes (if organic, leave the skin). Then place
pumpkin cubes in pan. Simmer for another 20
min.
5. Remove excess water (can be used as soup)
and serve.

Prep Time 15min Cook time 60-70min

 
Another nice bean dish. Combining a legume (lentils, beans, chickpeas) with a whole grain
(whole rice, buckwheat) provides all the amino-acids of a whole protein. Other non animal whole
proteins, on their own, are quinoa and tofu.
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Easy Muesli Bars

Adapted from Mayo Clinic recipe http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/NU00327 .

 
Ingredients (24 bars) Directions
- 2 ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats 1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Lightly coat a 9-by-
- ½ cup spelt flour (or other flour) 13-inch baking pan with olive oil cooking
spray.
- ½ cup ground almond
2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour,
- ½ cup toasted wheat germ ground almonds, wheat germ, almonds, plums,

16
- ½ cup sliced / flakes almonds or pecans or raisins and salt. Stir well to blend and set
walnuts aside.
- ½ cup plums (preferred to apples), chopped 3. In a small saucepan, stir together the honey,
peanut butter and olive oil over medium-low
- ½ cups raisins
heat until well blended. Don't let the mixture
- ½ tsp salt boil. Stir in the vanilla. Add the warm honey
- 1 cup dark honey mixture to the dry ingredients and stir quickly
- ½ cup natural unsalted peanut or almond butter until well combined. The mixture should be
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil sticky but not wet.
4. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
baking pan. Press firmly to remove any air
pockets. Bake just until the edges begin to
brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan
on a wire rack for 10 minutes, and then cut
into 24 bars. When just cool enough to handle,
remove the bars from the pan and place them
on the rack to cool completely. Store the bars
in airtight containers in the refrigerator

Prep Time 10min Cook time 25min

 

[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Leek “à la Vinaigrette”

Something I grew up with, and very simple to make. For Vinaigrette (salad dressing) like for
Bechamel, detailing out ingredients and directions got me thinking (you’ve just learnt it from your
Mom and do it with your eyes closed…)
 
Ingredients Directions
- 2-3 leeks 1. Wash leek and cut in 2-inches pieces. Check at
- 2 cups water junction of green and white for dirt and clean
or remove outer layer to wash.
- sea salt
2. Bring water to a boil, add salt, add leeks. Cook
- Vinaigrette (salad dressing): for 10 min or until leek is tender
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard 3. Prepare Vinaigrette dressing:
- 1 tbsp vinegar a. Mix well Dijon mustard and vinegar
- 5-7 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (works better if b. Progressively add oil making sure it mixes
oil is cool) well with mustard + vinegar, until mix is
smooth, and tastes nice. Excess oil will
- salt
prevent ingredients to stay together
- seasoning to taste: garlic powder, rosemary, 4. Serve leeks in people’s plate, let people add
curry, fresh cilantro, parsley or dill, basil etc Vinaigrette and eat leeks and Vinaigrette
together in their plate, or mix together in a dish
like a warm leak salad.

17
 Prep Time 10min Cook time 30min
 
A simple family dish. Vinaigrette dressing tastes very nice with many warm vegetables, not just
with raw lettuce and salads. For instance Vinaigrette is a nice way to accommodate boiled
potatoes (instead of butter).
Leek is Warming, and a very nice change in our usual diet. Mustard, vinegar and olive oil are
Warming.
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Ginger Carrots

From “Healing with Whole Foods – Asian Traditions and Modern Traditions”. Paul Pitchford.
North Atlantic Books. P558
 
Ingredients Directions
- 4 carrots sliced diagonally 1. Sauté carrots 3 min
- 1 tsp grated ginger 2. Add ginger and salt
3. Cover and shake pan counterclockwise
- 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
4. Cook 30 min on low heat until tender (add water
- Sea salt to taste if carrots burn)

Prep Time 5min Cook time 35min

 
Another simple dish.
Carrots strengthen the Spleen and nourish Yin. Ginger is warming.
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Day 4
Brown Rice Cream of Cream

From “Natural Remedies from the Japanese Kitchen”, Hiroko Fukuhara and Yasuko Takahata,
Weatherhill, p42
 
Ingredients Directions
- 1 cup brown rice 1. Wash brown rice thoroughly and drain. Place in
- 8 cups water pressure cooker and toast the rice lightly and
evenly oven high heat, for ~ 10 min.
- 2/3 tsp salt
2. Add water and salt. Seal pressure cooker lid.
- sesame salt and Japanese pickled plums Cook over high heat until pressurized. Then
optionally turn heat down to low and cook for 30 min.
- pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds 3. After rice finished cooking, let cooker sit with
lid on for 20 min.

18
 4. Remove the lid, place the cooked rice mixture in
a blender. Blend until smooth, add salt to taste
if needed.
5. Serve the hot mixture in soup bowls and
sprinkle with sesame salt, or sesame seeds
6. Place some pumpkin seeds in the middle of
each bowl for decoration
7. Can be eaten with pickled Japanese plums

Prep Time 10min Cook time 30min

 
Brown rice has a great nutritional value and prepared that way is very easy to digest. Some
believe it has anticancer properties.
Add spices, nuts or fruit to taste.
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Lamb Kebab

From French recipe web site www.marmiton.org ,

http://www.marmiton.org/Recettes/Recette_kebab-d-agneau_83609.aspx
 
Ingredients (4 servings) Directions
- 750g boneless lamb leg 1. Cut lamb meat in 3 cm cubes and put in
- 1 diced onion container with onion, paprika, cumin, parsley.
Add pepper. Stir meat to cover with sauce.
- 1 tsp paprika
Cover. Leave in the fridge to marinate for 2 hr.
- 1 tsp ground cumin 2. Thread meat onto skewer. Barbecue or broil
- 2 tbsp chiselled parsley or cilantro for a bout 6 min, turning them and covering
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil with more marinade
- salt, paper

Prep Time 15min Cook time 6 min

 Marinade time 2 hr

Easy to make, tasty, nice to share with friends, Warming.
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

19
 Quinoa Cocoa Walnut & Ginger Cookies

From Eastern Nutrition class potluck

 
Ingredients (2-3 dozens cookies) Directions
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, position racks in
- 1 teaspoon baking soda the upper half of the oven, and line 2 baking
sheets with parchment paper.
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free if
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder,
possible)
cocoa, cayenne pepper, and salt in a bowl and
- 3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt whisk to combine.
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 3. In a separate large bowl or stand mixer, cream
- 1 ½ cups natural sugar cane (use less if desired) the butter until light and fluffy, then beat in the
- 3 large eggs sugar. Mix in the eggs one at a time,
incorporating each fully before adding the next
- 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
and scraping down the sides of the bowl a few
- 2 cups cooked quinoa times. Stir in the vanilla until evenly
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (more if desired) incorporated. Add the flour mixture in about 4
- 3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts increments, stirring between each addition. At
this point, you should have a moist, uniform
- 3/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
dough. Stir in the quinoa, walnuts, ginger and
- 1 cup pure cocoa powder oats and mix only until the quinoa is evenly
-3/4 cup rolled oats distributed.
4. Let cookie dough stand for 15 min optionally
5. Drop 1 large tablespoon of the dough on the
prepared baking sheets for each cookie.
6. Bake for 10 or 12 minutes, until medium firm
top and bottom.

Prep Time 10min Cook time 15min

 
Warming and nourishing, and very yummy!
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Black Bean Rice

From “Natural Remedies from the Japanese Kitchen”, Hiroko Fukuhara and Yasuko Takahata,
Weatherhill, p38
 
Ingredients Directions
- ½ cup black beans 1. Place the black beans in a frying pan and
- 2 cups brown rice gently roast them, taking care not to burn
them, over medium heat for 3-4 min until
- 3 ½ cups water
fragrant
- sesame salt or salt for seasoning 2. Place brown rice and roasted beans in

20
 pressure cooker and add water
3. Cook over high heat until pressurized, then
lower heat to medium and cook for 20 min.
4. Remove from heat and allow to
depressurize.
5. Serve, sprinkled with sesame salt or
seasoning of your choice.

Prep Time 10min Cook time 30min

 
Black beans are Warming and good for Dampness, and stimulate the appetite, benefiting the
Spleen. This is a simple dish to give your digestive some rest while nourishing your system.
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Millet and Vegetable Miso Soup

From “Natural Remedies from the Japanese Kitchen”, Hiroko Fukuhara and Yasuko Takahata,
Weatherhill, p78
 
Ingredients Directions
- ½ cup millet 1. Wash the millet and simmer in the soup stock
- 3 cups soup stock for 10 min, until soft
2. Cut greens into ½ long pieces. Cut carrots into
- 1/3 cup miso
matching sticks.
- 1 small bunch of spinach or some other green 3. Add carrots and veggies to mixture. Add miso
vegetable (kale, asparagus,) and stir.
- 1 inch carrot
 
Prep Time 10min Cook time 5min
 
Yin and Blood nourishing.
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Fresh Ginger Cake

From “Breakfast, Lunch, Tea, the Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery”, Rose Carrarini, Phaidon.
P 134
The author is an English woman who runs trendy and successful bakeries in Paris
 
Ingredients (8 servings) Directions
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for 1. Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C
greasing 2. Butter a 10 inch loaf tin and line its base with
- ¾ cup plain flour (or rice flour) parchment paper
3. In a bowl, sift the dry ingredients together:

21
- 2/3 cup wholewheat flour (or quinoa or both flours, baking pwder, cinnamon, mixed
buckwheat flour) spice, cayenne, ground ginger, and salt
- 1 tsp baking powder 4. In another bowl, beat together the butter,
sugar, honey, and fresh ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
5. In a third bowl, beat the molasses with ½ tsp
- ½ tsp mixed spices of the baking soda), and add this mixture to
- pinch of cayenne pepper the butter & sugar mixture
- 2 rounded tbsp ground ginger 6. In a jar, combine the remaining ¼ tsp of
- ¼ tsp salt baking soda with ¾ cup boiling water. Pour it
all in the butter & sugar mixture, mix well
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar (or substitute with
7. Add all of the dry ingredients and fold in well,
maple syrup)
then mix the eggs
- ¾ cup boiling water 8. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and
- 2 tbsp honey bake for about 35 min or until a knife inserted
- 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger in the centre comes out clean
9. Remove from oven, cool the cake in tin, and
- 2tbsp molasses
take out. Enjoy!
- ¾ tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- 2 eggs, beaten

Prep Time 20min Cook time 40 min

 
This is a cross between a cake and a bread, and does not taste too sweet. So it relaxes a bit the
no sugar diet with something Warming (ginger, cinnamon, spices). To relax the no dairy diet
even more, it is wonderful toasted and eaten warm with butter 
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Moules Marinières (Mussels)

Another of these recipes you grow up with, and need to think hard to put into words...
 
Ingredients (3-4 servings) Directions
- 2 kg live mussels 1. Clean mussels (scrub & scrap shells, pull out
- 3 tbsp white wine, or rice wine beards). Discard any broken mussel or any
that does not close when tapped)
- 1 ¼ cup water
2. Chop onions and garlic, dice celery and
- 1 big celery stalk carrots.
- 1-2 carrots 3. Broil the above in oil for ~ 5 min, stirring well
- 2 onions 4. Add mussels, bay leave, water and wine. Mix
- 3 garlic cloves well.
5. Stem and grossly cut parsley and add to mix.
- 2 bay leaves
6. Cover and cook over medium/high heat for 10
- 2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil min, shaking or stirring , until all mussels are
- ½ cup parsley open.
7. Remove liquid and use as a soup.
8. Serve mussels, eat by using one mussel shell to

22
 pick up mussel meat from each shell. Or
prepare mussels our of shell before serving.

Prep Time 10min Cook time 5min

 
Mussels are Yin and Blood nourishing, and help resolve Dampness.
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

Moroccan Lentils

From French recipe web site www.marmiton.org ,

http://www.marmiton.org/Recettes/Recette_lentilles-a-la-marocaine_44564.aspx
 
Ingredients (4 servings) Directions
- 1 cup dry lentils 1. Several hours or the night before, soak lentils
- 3-4 garlic cloves in water. Remove water, cook lentils in pan or
pressure cooker till soft but still able to absorb
- 1 shallot
water from sauce. (or use canned lentils )
- 1 onion 2. Puree garlic, mince onion and shallot. Broil in
- 2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil pan with olive oil.
- 3-6 ripe tomatoes (depending on size) 3. Peel tomatoes, cut is very small dices. Add to
- ½ tsp ground ginger garlic etc mix, and broil for a few min.
4. Add seasoning and herbs.
- ½ tsp paprika
5. Add sauce to lentils and continue cooking,
- ½ tsp cumin adding water as needed until lentils are soft
and cooked

Prep Time 10min Cook time 1 hr

 Soak time >2 hr with dry lentils

A nice way to eat lentils. Lentils help resolve Dampness. The seasoning makes this dish
Warming.
[Back to Five-Day Plan Overview]

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